When you're the caregiver of a loved one with a chronic condition, you're putting your health at risk if you ignore your own needs. Learn how to make it a top priority to take care of yourself.

As the caregiver for a loved one who lives with a chronic condition, you’ve taken on a major commitment. Besides handling your own everyday stress and responsibilities, you're now taking on the physical responsibilities of a person who is sick. You're also shouldering the emotional consequences of watching someone you love manage an illness. Your stress levels may be far beyond what most people handle or can even imagine.

It’s time to get your stress under control.

Stress and the Caregiver: Maintain a Healthy Body

It's important to keep yourself as physically healthy as you can when you're a caregiver. That means getting much-needed sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly. Turning to alcohol or medication for stress relief is not a good way to handle caregiver stress, says Sally R. Connolly, a social worker and therapist with the Couples Clinic of Louisville in Louisville, Ky.

If you neglect your physical health, you may be the next one in your family who needs caregiving. Caregiver stress is associated with an increased risk of chronic conditions including arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. You're also more likely to develop an illness because your immune system is run down.

Stress and the Caregiver: Maintain a Healthy Mind

Your mental health has a big impact on your physical health and your ability to be a good caregiver. Recent research confirms that caregivers are at greater risk of having mental health issues and less physical energy than non-caregivers.

"Recognize that this is stressful and find time to care for your own needs. Look for ways to find support and ask for help. Many times, others want to help — they just don’t know how. Be very specific about what you need," says Connolly.

Connolly offers these suggestions to help you keep stress to a minimum and take care of your emotional health:

Join a support group.

Get educated about your loved one's illness.

Ask for help from other family members, health professionals, or resources within your community.

Take frequent breaks from your caregiving role.

Stay connected to your friends and life outside of being a caregiver.

Talk to your loved one, if you can, about what's appropriate for you to help with, and what he should still try to do on his own.

Accept the fact that you can't do everything, and do what you can.

Stress and the Caregiver: Getting Over Guilt

Many caregivers feel guilty, and this can be for a variety of reasons. You may feel guilty that you're the healthy one, or guilty about the other emotions that you often feel, such as anger, frustration, or disappointment. You may feel that you're not doing enough or devoting enough time to your loved one. All of these feelings are normal, but Connolly says guilt isn't helpful.

"Acknowledge that guilt gets in the way of doing what you can do," says Connolly. “It takes up too much energy, and energy is at a premium when you’re a caregiver. Appreciate what you do and can do, and focus more on that than on what you cannot do."

Stress and the Caregiver: The Benefits of Caregiving

Though you may feel too swamped and stressed to realize it, caregiving can be a wonderful thing for you and your loved one.

"Some adult caregivers find a new respect for their own well-being through the experience of taking care of someone else," says Connolly. And if you're a caregiver for your parents, you can experience a whole new side to that relationship.

"Grown adults who take care of their elderly parents often forge new relationships with them," says Connolly. "Spending so much time with an aging parent means incredible powers of bonding in many situations." This can include healing any old wounds or misunderstandings, and getting a richer sense of who your parent really is.

Being a caregiver doesn't mean completely giving up your own life, but it does mean that you will be making some changes. Focus on the benefits of being a caregiver, but always take time to care for your own health. Stress can sneak up on you, so stay on top of it to be the best caregiver you can be — and that's all anyone can ask.